LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Hosting the Big Ten Championships this weekend for the first time in 50 years, the Northwestern men’s golf team earned its biggest victory since 2001, winning the tournament in stunning come-from-behind fashion. Individually, junior Chris Wilson erased a seven-stroke deficit in the final round to win medalist honors for the first time in his collegiate career.

After winning three consecutive Big Ten championships from 1999 to 2001, the Wildcats had gone five years without winning the Big Ten.

“Winning this tournament serves as a lot of validation,” coach Pat Goss said. “We’ve done some good things over the past few years but haven’t been able to validate them by winning our conference. This victory answers the question of whether we were a one-time show or if we could keep it going.”

As a team, NU started the final round in third place, three shots behind leader Indiana and one shot behind Michigan State. With temperatures in the upper 40s, heavy rain and winds gusting at 30 miles per hour, the conditions at Conway Farms Golf Club were the hardest Goss and his team had ever seen. No team finished its final round within 10 shots of its third-round score, with every team shooting an aggregate score above 300. NU’s 17-over final-round 301 was the lowest score of any team on Sunday.

“The only thing that made today bearable was that it wasn’t cold,” Goss said. “It was a very hard 18 holes. The conditions were as hard as they get.”

Wilson started the day in a tie for third place at 2-under par, trailing Michigan State’s Ryan Brehm by five shots. Brehm had led after each of the first three rounds. At one point during the front nine, Brehm stretched his lead to seven shots over Wilson. Wilson finally fought back to tie Brehm after the 15th hole.

Wilson took the lead for the first time after the 17th hole, heading to 18 with a one-shot advantage. With Brehm in a greenside bunker after his second shot, Wilson hit his third shot from just under 150 yards to within four feet of the pin. After Brehm made his birdie to temporarily tie Wilson at 3-under, Wilson knocked in his downhill four-footer for his first career collegiate victory.

After heading into the final round of last weekend’s Fossum Invitational with a share of the lead, Wilson struggled and settled for his then-collegiate career best, a runner-up finish.

“I’ve been in or close to the lead a few times now,” Wilson said. “Each time I learned a few things. Last week, I learned to be extremely patient and to hit towards the center of the greens. It’s hard not to shoot at every pin sometimes, but in conditions like this, playing smart and being patient gives you a leg up on a lot of people.”

Senior Dillon Dougherty shot a 78 in the final round to finish in 13th place along with sophomore Kyle Moore, who shot a 65 in the first round and an 80 in the third before his final-round 77. Junior David Merkow claimed 24th place, moving up six spots on the leaderboard after carding a 77 yesterday. Sophomore Dan Doyle rounded out the NU contingent by placing 44th.

With their victory, the Cats have earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals, which will take place May 18-20.

Having won two of their last three tournaments, the Cats head into postseason play with plenty of momentum.

“If we all play to our potential at the same time, we could be scary good,” Wilson said. “This victory only begins to show how good we really are.”

Reach Michael Schlossberg at [email protected].